Opportunities for students with disabilities in higher education institutions in Turkey: Where is ICT?

Abstract

Students with disabilities should have equal opportunities to participate in higher education as well as students without disabilities. These opportunities are mentioned in a number of various international conventions within a growing attention. According to this growing attention, Higher Education Council in Turkey, determined the Counseling and Coordination Regulations for Higher Education Disabled Students and within the framework of this regulation, Disabled Students Units (DSUs) were formed. The aim of the study is to determine the opportunities provided by state universities’ DSUs in Turkey reveal the role of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in these opportunities and put forward related suggestions for future studies. The research model of the study is survey model included 104 state universities in Turkey. The research data were collected via the examination of the sections of DSUs on the websites. As a result of the study, it was seen that the services provided by DSUs were generally gathered within the scope of physical services and it is observed that ICT services have small size rate among other services